The present invention relates to a system for monitoring and regulating fluid concentration and fluid pressure within a fluid conduit. Specifically, the system monitors and controls a concentration and a pressure value in an arterial or a venous line during continuous fluid flow.
Traditionally, it has been difficult to obtain accurate data about fluid concentrations within a fluid stream without using an invasive technique. U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,468, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a concentration analyzer that achieves instantaneous measurement of fluid concentration in a moving fluid stream. However, the system disclosed in the prior patent did not provide any mechanism for measuring or controlling pressure within a fluid conduit.
There is also a need for a system for measuring and controlling the delivery and dispersion of an anticoagulant agent, a radio-opaque contrast agent, and various other chemical agents entering an artery or a vein.
There is also a need for a system to effectively monitor and regulate pressure variations within a fluid conduit.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a system that allows complete control over the distribution of a fluid entering an artery or a vein.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a pressure measurement system that effectively monitors and regulates pressure variations within a fluid conduit.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a system that effectively monitors pressure variations and concentration variations within a fluid conduit and that automatically controls fluid flow in response to a variation.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purposes of the invention as embodied and broadly described herein, a system is provided for monitoring and regulating pressure in a moving fluid stream inside of a conduit. The system comprises an infusion assembly including a catheter having a series of holes distributed around an exterior surface. The infusion assembly further includes injection means for introducing a fluid into the catheter and a pump for delivering fluid to the injection means. The invention further comprises a data collection system including a first pressure transducer attached to a pressure chamber of the pump and a second pressure transducer attached to the end of the catheter for measuring the pressure in a pressure chamber line of the catheter. A data processing and control system is provided for processing data collected from the second pressure transducer attached to the end of the catheter and for controlling operations of the infusion assembly based on a comparison of a plurality of selected values and the data received from the data collection system. A user control and analysis system allows user interaction.
In an additional aspect of the invention, a system is provided for monitoring and regulating pressure and concentration in a moving fluid stream inside of a conduit, wherein the fluid stream includes a first fluid. The system comprises an infusion assembly including a catheter having a series of holes distributed around an exterior surface and injection means for introducing a second fluid into the catheter to create a solution mixture, and a pump for delivering the second fluid to the injection means. A data collection system is provided that includes a first pressure transducer attached at a first end of the catheter for measuring the pressure in a pressure chamber line of the catheter, a second pressure transducer attached at a second end of the catheter, and a sensor means within the conduit for measuring a conductivity of the first and second solution mixture. A data processing and control apparatus is provided that includes conversion means for converting the measured conductivity into a concentration value, and control means for controlling operation of the infusion assembly based on a comparison of a plurality of selected values with data received from the data collection system. A user control and analysis system allows user interaction.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.